"Obama seems to compartmentalize Iraq and Syria as two different problems; but the nature of ISIS and, more broadly, the al Qaeda model from which it broke off, is that they act not as national insurgencies but as pan-national insurgencies."

In Foreign Policy, AHS speaker and University of Texas-Austin faculty adviser William Inboden offers praise for positive measures taken recently by the Obama administration on religious freedom:

"As it approaches its final two years in office, it now has arguably its most capable diplomatic team yet on these issues in Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski and Ambassador-designate Saperstein."

"Growing global insecurity is now directly affecting America’s economic prosperity, and Washington will have to address both at some point no matter what. The question is whether policymakers will chose to pay now or pay more later."